Paradis en Iles des pines, New Caledonia

11/19/11

New Caledonia, Ile des Pines

Today we got on the tender boat ride off the ship and on to the most glorious island beach. This island looked like the best kept secret. You know when people ask, “if you were stuck on a deserted island....” well, I wouldn’t mind at all being on THIS remote island. It was a white sand beach, surrounded by the most stunning and intricate trees. They were all wind blown and stuck together, making a perfect entrance archway to the beach. I stood in awe of the trees. A bunch of crew members played games in the water, and truly soaked up the sun. They speak french here, so I definitely tried to brush that up again. It’s amazing how much of it I have lost, but if you don’t use it, you lose it! I wandered a bit by myself before heading back to the ship. I tried some exotic food, cooked in banana leaves, and tried to have a conversation with a local. I had to head back early, because I was going to eat some pretty amazing 5 star ship food. We have this restaurant on board, where you can get the most amazing 5 course meal for only 25 bucks....it’s really a steal. So, sometimes, you just go to get some good eats while on board. The night, after we had left, was pretty magical. The stars were unbelievably bright, and we got to see the southern cross, which you really can only see on this side of the world. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the sky.